A Galaxy Ranger Holiday
by Red Witch
Summary: The gang gathers together for Christmas Eve.


**The disclaimer saying that I don't own any Galaxy Rangers characters is stuffed in some stockings. I just had a holiday idea in my insane head. **

**A Galaxy Ranger Holiday**

"A Christmas sleepover?" Shane blinked. "What is a Christmas sleepover?"

"Well I figured we would all spend Christmas Eve together and Christmas Day together," Zach told his team. "Since we were given that time off for all the hard work we've done this year."

"Wouldn't you want to spend it with your family?" Niko asked.

"Yes, that's why I'm asking," Zach smiled. "Jessica invited Billy and Waldo and Zozo are coming over too. It'll be fun."

"I'm in," Doc grinned. "My family's off having separate holidays again. We're more of a New Year's Eve kind of crowd."

"I'd love it," Niko smiled. "Goose?"

"I never had a real Christmas before," Shane admitted. "I never knew about Christmas until I left Wolf Den and…Well most of the time I was studying to be a Galaxy Ranger. And last year I was working around the holidays."

"Well you're having one this year," Niko smiled and took his arm.

"That's the spirit," Zach grinned. "Be at my place by dinnertime. We'll even decorate the tree!"

"Decorate?" Shane blinked.

"You'll see," Niko smiled. "It'll be fun! You'll love it."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"It'll be **fun** she says," Doc moaned as he sat at the kitchen table in Zach's apartment in a slump. He was covered with silly string and strings of tree lights. "You'll **love** it she says!"

"IT NEVER FAILS!" Zach was heard shouting in the next room. "IT NEVER FAILS! ONE LIGHT GOES OUT, THEY **ALL** GO OUT!"

"Some fun…" Doc groaned.

"NOW WHY THE HELL ARE THEY BLINKING?" Zach shouted from the living room. "THEY'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BLINK!"

"Will you kids stop shooting out silly string all over the place?" Niko shouted. "THAT MEANS **YOU** SHANE! AAAAAAAAHHH!"

"Got ya!" Shane said cheerfully. "OW! HEY NO FAIR USING YOUR POWERS!"

"WORK YOU STUPID PIECE OF CRAP! WORK!" Zach snapped. Then the lights started to dim.

"Captain Foxx please be careful," Buzzwang was heard. "You nearly blew a fuse."

"Don't tell **me** how to string up Christmas lights you tin plated…" Zach was heard swearing under his breath.

"Oh yeah I'm **loving** this…" Doc grumbled as he removed the lights from his body.

"Goose! Stop eating all the candy canes!" Niko shouted.

"But they taste so good!" Shane protested.

"I don't care! We won't have any for the tree at this rate!" Niko snapped.

"WHY WON'T YOU WORK YOU…?" A string of swears that would make a sailor blush immediately followed of Zach's mouth.

"ZACHERY! WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE!" Niko shouted.

"OH SHUT UP AND HELP ME UNTANGLE THESE DAMN THINGS!" Zach snapped.

"Zachery Foxx I swear you…NO! STOP THAT! GOOOOOSE!" Niko shrieked.

"It's not going well is it?" Doc asked Zach Jr. as he walked into the kitchen.

"Actually my Dad's a bit calmer than last year," The boy gave him a look. "I don't know there's something about tree lights and electronics that drives him crazy. He never seems to have a knack for them."

"Pretty ironic for a man that's half machine," Doc smirked.

"GOOSE!" Niko yelled.

"I think we'd better get back in there," Zach Jr. rolled his eyes.

"Goose is not trying to put ninja stars on the tree again is he?" Doc groaned as he went back into the living room.

"No, it's **something else** of his that keeps getting in the way," Zach Jr. groaned.

"_And a Bubblehead in a pine tree!"_ Bubblehead popped his head out of the tree.

"Get out of the tree you crazy bird!" Shane snapped. Bubblehead responded by shooting him with a tiny can of silly string. "AAGGGH!"

"He he he!" Bubblehead giggled. "I like it in here!" He then noticed Jessica was filming him. "Hey! I'm on TV!"

"It's part of my video journal," Jessica said. "I'm keeping one for Mom. You know, when she comes home."

"That's a wonderful idea," Niko smiled.

"WHY WON'T YOU DO WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO YOU…" Zach, completely tangled in Christmas tree lights was trying to make them work by strangling them. And he was also swearing up a storm.

"You might want to edit **that** part out Jessica," Niko blinked.

"I still don't understand why you had to bring silly string to the party Billy," Doc shook his head. "Then again it's no worse than what Gooseman brought."

"What's wrong with throwing stars, flares and stun grenades?" Shane blinked.

"They're not exactly keeping with the Christmas spirit of love and peace and good will towards your fellow man," Doc pointed out.

"YOU ARE THE STUPIDEST PIECE OF CRAP! YOU FREAKING…" Zach shouted as he fought with the lights. "WHY WON'T YOU DO WHAT I SAY? DO IT OR I'LL SMASH YOU INTO A MILLION PIECES!"

"Good thing that phrase doesn't apply to lights," Bubblehead blinked.

"Goose didn't Commander Walsh ever explain Christmas to you?" Billy asked.

"He only went over it very briefly," Shane admitted. "I don't think Commander Walsh likes Christmas very much."

"Maybe he's Jewish or something?" Billy thought aloud.

"No, I think he's just not very religious," Doc shrugged.

"Then again that changed pretty fast after Wolf Den and he got custody of me," Shane shrugged. "He was always saying 'Oh God', 'Please Lord', 'Why me God?' and other stuff like that all the time."

"Gee I wonder **why?**" Doc gave him a playful look.

"What is **that **supposed to mean?" Shane glared at him.

"Let's just say you are a bit confused about the phrase 'deck the halls'," Doc chuckled.

"I'll **deck** you!" Shane roared as he chased Doc around with the silly string.

"GOOSE! WILL YOU CUT IT OUT! DOC!" Niko yelled as Doc got some silly string of his own and fought back. "Doc don't encourage him! You are both acting like children!"

"I find that comment very insulting," Jessica gave her a look.

"Buzzwang…" Bubblehead called out. "Come here! I wanna show you something!"

"What is it Bubblehead?" Buzzwang went to inspect it. He got a whole shot of silly string in his face for his trouble. "Very amusing. Captain Foxx?"

"GRRRRRRRRRR!" Zach was doing a very good Goose imitation with the lights.

"Captain Foxx perhaps you would have more success if you untangled that section there and then…" Buzzwang began. The next thing he knew Zach had lassoed him with the lights and then dumped them on him.

"FINE BUZZWANG! YOU'RE SO SMART! **YOU** HANG UP THE FREAKING LIGHTS!" Zach yelled as he stormed away. Leaving everyone else to fight a huge silly string war in the living room.

An hour later things had finally calmed down. And the silly string had been cleaned up. The tree was actually decorated. "Wow…" Shane blinked as he looked at the tree. "It's actually…beautiful."

"It's a real nice one this year," Zach Jr. smiled happily. "You did a great job with the lights Buzzwang."

"It was rather easy actually," Buzzwang said.

"Yeah, yeah," Zach gave him a look as he brought in a plate of cookies. "Come on everyone! Have some cookies."

"Cookies?" Doc raised an eyebrow.

"Don't worry," Jessica said. "Goose didn't bake them."

"Ha ha…" Shane smirked, then he took a bite. "These are good."

"Now this is a real party," Doc smiled. The doorbell rang. "Who could that be?"

"Happy Earth Holidays," Waldo smiled as he and Zozo stood at the door with presents.

"We thought we'd stop by with presents and good cheer!" Zozo said happily as he handed the presents out to everyone.

"And a special delivery for you Gooseman," Waldo had a cheerful twinkle in his eye as he handed Shane a present. "It's from Andor."

"Did you…?" Shane began.

"I personally delivered the Supertrooper Children your presents," Waldo nodded. "And yours Rangers Foxx, Niko and Hartford."

"You gave them gifts too?" Shane blinked.

"Of course we did," Zach was surprised Shane would even ask. "They are part of your family Goose."

"Yeah," Shane smiled. "Thanks…"

"Come on in and have some cookies," Zach invited them in. "I've got some cocoa brewing in the kitchen!"

Soon they were all sitting around drinking cocoa and having cookies. Shane was sitting with the kids around the tree staring at it. "So you never had a real Christmas before?" Billy asked.

"They didn't have any holidays at Wolf Den," Shane explained. "Why should a Supertrooper have a holiday when he doesn't have to fight?"

"That sucks," Zach Jr. grumbled.

"Now that I think about it, yeah," Shane shrugged. "We just didn't know any other life back then."

"That really is bad," Billy looked sad.

"It wasn't your father's fault Billy," Shane picked up on the boy's feelings. "He didn't have a choice how we were raised. Walsh and the others would accuse him of 'coddling' us if he even hugged us or gave us a pat on the head. But he did do some things for us in secret."

"Like what?" Jessica asked.

"Well, he used to sneak us animal crackers," Shane smiled. "And every now and then he'd tell us a bedtime story when he was sure no one would find out. It wasn't often but he told us a few."

"What kind of stories?" Billy was interested.

"There was this one story I always liked," Shane smiled. "About the Ugly Duckling and how it became a swan. Of course in his version the swan was able to shoot lasers from his eyes and fly at light speed. That was just to keep Kilbane and the others interested."

"Now I wonder why you liked **that** story?" Doc snickered. "The Odd Little Gosling that grew up to be a Goose."

Shane thought a moment. "You know now that I think about it, my life is a lot like that story. None of the other birds liked the Ugly Duckling and he was never really a duckling to begin with. He just didn't fit in."

"That's because he was more than what he thought he was," Niko gave him a sad smile as she sat next to him. "He was something better. Something very good and beautiful."

"Awww…" Bubblehead chirped. "How cute!" Then he flew off. He flew back with something green in his beak. "Mistletoe!"

"Huh?" Shane looked at Bubblehead fluttering over his head. The kids started to giggled and Niko turned a shade red. "What's that thing?"

"It's called mistletoe Goose," Doc smiled, barely containing the laughter inside of him.

"What's so funny?" Shane looked around seeing everyone snicker.

"Uh according to tradition you're supposed to uh…kiss someone you stand under the mistletoe with," Niko was a little embarrassed.

"Yeah! Go Goose!" Bubblehead chirped. "Kissy! Kissy!"

Now Shane was **really** embarrassed. "Uh…."

"Go on Gooseman! It's tradition!" Doc called out.

"Shut up Doc!" Shane snapped. He glared at Bubblehead. "Remind me to **get** you for this bird!"

"Come on Goose! Kiss the girl!" Bubblehead chirped.

Shane couldn't stop himself from blushing. He blushed even more when Niko leaned in and gave him a peck on the cheek. "That's so **cute!"** Jessica squealed.

"It is not!" Shane was embarrassed. He turned even redder.

"Oh come on Gooseman! Get into the holiday spirit!" Doc laughed.

"Okay Doc! Your turn!" Bubblehead flew over his head with the mistletoe.

"What the..?" Then Doc realized he was sitting next to Buzzwang.

"Oh my…" Buzzwang blinked.

"No way!" Doc snapped.

"Come on Doc," Shane was loving this turn of events. "It's tradition and all!"

"Shut up, Gooseman," Doc hissed.

"Kissy, kissy!" Shane mocked.

"Well if you insist…" Buzzwang leaned in.

"Oh no you…WHOAAAAAAAAA!" Doc fell off the couch in an effort to avoid the kiss. Everyone laughed at the sight. "I really **hate** your bird, Gooseman…"

"Awww! I love you Doc!" Bubblehead flew down and kissed Doc on the head with his beak.

"Oh dear, always a bridesmaid, never a bride," Buzzwang sighed.

"I am so glad I got this on **tape!"** Jessica pointed to the camera recording everything.

"One word Jessica, EDITING!" Doc snapped.

"All right, how about a real story?" Zach laughed at his friend's antics.

"How about the Night Before Christmas?" Jessica suggested.

"Yeah I love that poem," Zach Jr. agreed.

"Poem?" Shane made a face.

"It's a good poem Goose," Billy told him. "You'll like it."

"Yeah right," Shane snorted. He lay back so that his head was right next to the Christmas tree.

"I'll sit next to my Goose!" Bubblehead fluttered so that he was right next to Shane. Shane rolled his eyes but said nothing.

Zach grinned as he pulled out a book and began to read. "Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house…Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…"

Shane tuned out Zach's words to focus on the tree. The sight of the lights glowing and the glistening of the ornaments meshed perfectly with the sweet smell of pine and candy canes above him. He felt fascinated by the many colors and smells. It was all so peaceful, so relaxing. Everything felt warm and wonderful. He simply let his senses drift and allowed himself to completely relax.

Zach finished up the poem. "I always loved that poem. And so did…So does Eliza."

"You'll read it to her next year," Niko put her hand on his arm. "Right Goose? Goose?"

Shane was sound asleep under the Christmas tree. Bubblehead was in sleep mode in his arm like a teddy bear. "He's out cold." Billy said.

"Awwww," Doc grinned. "Isn't that cute?" He snickered as he took a picture with a small digital camera. "I know what's going on my Christmas cards for next year!"

"If you **send** that picture out I know what to get you for next Christmas," Zach groaned. "A body cast!"

"Don't wake him," Niko warned. She found a nearby blanket and covered him with it. "Merry Christmas, Shane…"

**Happy Holidays to all and to all a good night! **

**Red Witch**


End file.
